"Improving Our Lot" - Planned Holistic Grazing, for starters..

[Karliboy]

Has anyone got any of the VOSS farming geared reels and there reel posts. They look decent deals on there site. Even better than eBay. But unsure about quality.

 

[Whitewalker]

One thing about this approach to regen , it really does chew the brain cells thinking round things. I turned my compost heap yesterday and am happy it’s breaking down well. I’m not sure if I’m doing it correctly but for once I’m actively looking to see what’s going on around me on farm. I’m still trying to get my head around the complexity of stock density and the logistics to deliver it. One thing that is sinking in is how listening to others on how they do stuff and looking at here and thinking how to improve things but not necessarily copy . There is no right and wrong but there is let’s try and watch. Can’t remember the last time I stuck my hand it the side of a muck heap.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Composting is quite an exciting thing in itself, if you can dull down the "farming" aspect enough then it gives much more time for making windrows.

(Or making sheets of it with electric fencing.)

We are trying quite a bit of wool in ours now as it's basically a "waste" selling it, so far it looks pretty encouraging.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Has anyone got any of the VOSS farming geared reels and there reel posts. They look decent deals on there site. Even better than eBay. But unsure about quality.

No, but they look alright from what I've seen.
I made a couple of reel posts but generally just do this:

if you put the reels on grazed ground, handle facing down, then it keeps it all off the ground... the big benefit is that if something climbs the fence it tends to 'give', rather than snap the polywire because the reel just climbs up/off the pigtail with enough pull on it

all my fences are 6 pigtails - 2 for each end and 2 in the middle holding the wire up

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Has anyone got any of the VOSS farming geared reels and there reel posts. They look decent deals on there site. Even better than eBay. But unsure about quality.

We've got other geared reels but I bought 2 more reel posts recently from Voss. They are heavier than our others and 30% cheaper. The reel brackets are also heavier and much cheaper. Go for it.

 

[tinsheet]

Has anyone got any of the VOSS farming geared reels and there reel posts. They look decent deals on there site. Even better than eBay. But unsure about quality.

Yes, good value!

 

[Kiwi Pete]

I made some out of scrap, just little short jobs, nice and light. The idea with them being short is that the reel will hang on it and put decent pressure on the lane fence so it's got a fair electrical connection, and so that they don't need to be rammed in to hold up a heavy geared reel under good tension - less leverage.

Just a chain - link welded on to hang the reel's hook in, and a crossbar for the rim of the reel to sit against so it can't possibly short it out

 

[hendrebc]

Has anyone got any of the VOSS farming geared reels and there reel posts. They look decent deals on there site. Even better than eBay. But unsure about quality.

Reel post is good reels are ok but the plastic is a bit flimsy compared to a Gallagher or something especially the guide for the wire a few of mine have broken. You get what you pay for it seems.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Germ vs Terrain Theory – Which Do We Adopt To Be Healthy?

In the Western world, we are desperately obsessed with killing things off that we feel can threaten our livelihood. Whether it is germs, terrorists, or the next door neighbour, we seek to eliminate…

dreddymd.com

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Germ vs Terrain Theory – Which Do We Adopt To Be Healthy?

In the Western world, we are desperately obsessed with killing things off that we feel can threaten our livelihood. Whether it is germs, terrorists, or the next door neighbour, we seek to eliminate…

dreddymd.com

In reality it's a bit of both but mostly the terrain theory I believe. No degree of healthy living can protect you from some pathogens. Most "diseases" we treat are, however, driven by organisms that are either a normal part of our microbiome but get out of balance or ones we are commonly challenged by and pose no problem for a healthy immune system.

Vaccination against key pathogens is a very good thing. Polio anyone? Smallpox?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

In reality it's a bit of both but mostly the terrain theory I believe. No degree of healthy living can protect you from some pathogens. Most "diseases" we treat are, however, driven by organisms that are either a normal part of our microbiome but get out of balance or ones we are commonly challenged by and pose no problem for a healthy immune system.

Vaccination against key pathogens is a very good thing. Polio anyone? Smallpox?

I've not had either of those ?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

On that same theme, it's really noticeable how much happier and healthier the cattle are this year, no coughs

Might not freeze tonight.

 

[exmoor dave]

Good price on poly braid buying in bulk,
Just bought a pack to fill 4x O'brian reels.

Much prefer the braid to normal poly

2 x 400m Gallagher Duopack Vidoflex 9 Polywire

Save up to 3% - The best conducting TurboLine plastic wire for portable fencing longer than 500 metres. The 6 stainless steel wires and...

www.tannertrading.co.uk

 

[pear]

View attachment 890015View attachment 890016
Rain has stopped again.
Still sticking with the 240m² cells as the math is easy and the paddocks are still 4:1 shape (8x30 metres)

@Kiwi Pete Sorry if I’ve already missed it, but what are they grazing in the first pic?

 

[Kiwi Pete]

@Kiwi Pete Sorry if I’ve already missed it, but what are they grazing in the first pic?

Mostly oats, ryecorn and tillage radish, forage brassica and vetch.... and a lot of grass.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Basically "survival of the fittest" @pear

a lot of what I drilled (like beans, peas, lupins, sunflower) have pretty much gone due to frost, but it's all food for something. Some (phacelia, buckwheat) didn't really like it at all.

Semi-tempted to put in a warm-season mix to compound any gains we made with this, and the other part of me says to just leave it and crack on with the grass, maybe it wouldn't like a summer canopy so much, or try it elsewhere on the ranch ((thinking sorghum/sudangrass, sunflower, chicory, turnip and plantain, to help convert moisture into extra grazing days/ha))

 

[ShooTa]

just a quick on on reel posts - i bought a few of the hangers from taragate - and then use them on the cheap metal step ins - much more lightweight than a dedicated one - of which i have several which i use for my 200m lenghts .

 

[pear]

Basically "survival of the fittest" @pear

a lot of what I drilled (like beans, peas, lupins, sunflower) have pretty much gone due to frost, but it's all food for something. Some (phacelia, buckwheat) didn't really like it at all.

Semi-tempted to put in a warm-season mix to compound any gains we made with this, and the other part of me says to just leave it and crack on with the grass, maybe it wouldn't like a summer canopy so much, or try it elsewhere on the ranch ((thinking sorghum/sudangrass, sunflower, chicory, turnip and plantain, to help convert moisture into extra grazing days/ha))

Thanks @Kiwi Pete
Im looking for a cover crop to go into some grass. I’m not sure to whether to buy an off the shelf mix or buy a clean cement mixer barrel and do some home mixing. I’ve got the plenty of left over beans, peas and oats in the grain store. I can add some other bits and bobs.
I have just spent almost an hour trawling through this thread to find the part of the conversation about cover crop mixes! It was back from February. I knew I had read it somewhere before!

 

[Kiwi Pete]

Cement mixer/shovel on the floor of the grainstore
Probably in the 40-50kg of cereal/ha ballpark and 10-20kg of peas + beans would be about where we went with this one.

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Thanks @Kiwi Pete
Im looking for a cover crop to go into some grass. I’m not sure to whether to buy an off the shelf mix or buy a clean cement mixer barrel and do some home mixing. I’ve got the plenty of left over beans, peas and oats in the grain store. I can add some other bits and bobs.
I have just spent almost an hour trawling through this thread to find the part of the conversation about cover crop mixes! It was back from February. I knew I had read it somewhere before!

That's what the bookmark function is for Sam